


“From Something to Nothing to Something”

by WritingWithADinosaur



Series: "From Something to Nothing to Something" [1]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 18:23:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17249165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingWithADinosaur/pseuds/WritingWithADinosaur
Summary: Reader is a friend of the Wayne family who moved to Gotham about 6 months ago. She is a bartender/waitress at Oswald’s. She has been able to adjust to the craziness of the city while working at Oswald’s. But when her apartment gets broken into during a really rough part of her life, it seems like her world gets flipped upside down. Maybe Alfred and Bruce can help?





	1. "From Something to Nothing to Something" - Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alfred Pennyworth x Reader
> 
> Key: (Y/N) = Your Name, (L/N) = Your Last Name
> 
> Warnings: Talk of Violence, Talk of Death, Minor Offensive Language,

_**6 Months Ago -** _

You had known Thomas and Martha Wayne since you were little. Your father and Thomas had been pals in college and always kept in touch. Throughout your life, you always felt like you had a second family. So when they heard that you planned on visiting Gotham for a few weeks, they were ecstatic!

You were driving on the interstate when you got a phone call from the Wayne’s butler, Alfred Pennyworth. _Thomas and Martha had been shot._

You made a choice that night: You weren’t going to just be visiting Gotham. _You were going to pick up everything and move to the city._ Bruce would need you. Even Alfred could potentially need you.

_**4 Months Later -** _

These first few months in Gotham hadn’t really gone as you expected them to. You tried to get a job as a stage manager or some sort of backstage help in the theater district, but nothing opened for you. So you went to the one place that could heal this wound- a bar.

You stumbled upon Oswald’s and found out that they needed a bartender and waitress for their grand opening in a week. You knew your way around a well stocked bar and could deal with taking drunk people’s orders. So you walked up to the tough looking guy by the door, who was referred to as Butch, and said “Hello! My name is (Y/N) (L/N), and I am your new bartender and waitress.” 

After that, you went through an interview process and got the job that afternoon. You knew that you had to go back to your apartment and update Alfred. He wasn’t too fond of the idea of you working there, but you calmed his nerves and told him that this was just temporary. It was sweet that Alfred was worried for you. At least you had one close friend in this insane city.

_**Present Day -** _

You’ve been working at Oswald’s for quite some time now. During your time there, you have found out that Mr.Cobblepot has some dangerous people in his life. You’ve now seen your fair share of gunfights, knife fights, and any sort of violence in this club. But you had Butch teach you some basic defense skills and how to use a gun (which you now had hiding under the counter and in your purse).

This was very unsettling to Bruce and Alfred. More so Alfred than Bruce. You tried countless times to reassure them that you were okay and that enduring all of this had its benefits. You got a raise because you didn’t quit after any of these incidents, and you learned some useful protective skills. Bruce had slowly become more and more okay with your situation. Alfred on the other hand was still hesitant about ignoring these dangers, and insisted on checking up on you every so often. So you compromised and made sure to call him almost every day when you got home safe from work.

One day you decided to call Alfred while you walked home. You hadn’t been able to call him in a few nights because you ended up working overtime in order to earn some extra money for your apartment’s rent. This had truly worried Alfred. He told himself that if one more night went by, then he would start searching for you.

The phone only rang twice before you heard that all too familiar accent of Alfred’s.

“It’s about bloody time I hear back from you! Had me worried sick! Three days and all I get is a text saying ‘I’m okay.’?” 

“Good evening to you too Alfred. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to talk to you. I have been dealing with problems in my apartment _and_ working overtime in order to pay my rent on time.”

“What’s wrong with it this time?”

“Water. It seems like I only get about 10 minutes worth of warm water a day. I’m trying to work it all out with my landlord.”

“I’m telling you, you need to get out of that dreary apartment.”

“Where would I go then? There aren’t many other available apartments that are relatively close to work. And the ones that are available are way out of my budget.”

“You could always live here.”

“Alfie, we’ve had this discussion before. I don’t want to be a bother to you or Bruce. Plus, Wayne Manor is pretty far from my job. And I wouldn’t feel comfortable.”

Thankfully you were almost to your apartment by this time. You loved Alfred, but you just wanted to take a shower with whatever warm water was left, and then get a few hours of sleep before starting a new day.

“Hey, I’m almost to my place. I’ll try to remember to update you regularly on what’s going on with my– What the fuck?!”

Your sentence got abruptly cut short when you saw that your door was ajar. You knew what this meant, but you didn’t want to believe it. You reached into your purse and grabbed the gun that Butch trained you with. Slowly you push open your front door and look inside. Someone had broken into your apartment and taken almost everything they could carry. Clothes, decorations, video games, and pretty much anything of value. All stolen.

As you walked through each room and saw the damage that had been done, you let out a string of expletives. You had barely enough to get through the next two days. Your mind was racing. eventually you backed into the wall and slid down to the floor, panicking.

You faintly heard Alfred yelling on the phone over your internal screaming. “(Y/N)? (Y/N?)?! (Y/N), tell me what the hell is going on?”

You placed your cell phone back to your ear. Alfred’s pleas getting louder and more frequent. With what mental stability you had left, you finally found the words you needed.

“Alfred. Please head to my apartment. I need you. I have nothing anymore.”


	2. "From Something to Nothing to Something" - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alfred Pennyworth x Reader
> 
> Key: Y/N = Your Name, L/N = Your Last Name, H/C = Your Hair Color, E/C = Your Eye Color
> 
> Warnings: Talk of Violence, Talk of Death, Offensive Language,

You are one of those girls who has to make a checklist for every trip, even to the grocery store. You try to plan ahead as much as you possibly can. You had a plan for the next few days. Work a bit of overtime to earn some extra money, talk to your sketchy landlord about how to go about fixing your hot water problem, do a few chores, and then get some sleep before having to start a new day. Always on your feet. Always keeping yourself busy. Always appearing to be okay.

Now you’re here: on your floor, your apartment door open, staring straight ahead. You couldn’t think straight. You couldn’t even think. You were numb. Everything you’ve planned… Everything you’ve worked at recently… Stolen. Evaporated. Gone.

_“I’m going to have to work overtime for a month or more just to pay my rent, repair bills, and get some of my life back. Maybe I’ll get another job?” You thought. “I can’t ask anyone for any sort of help. I don’t want to be in debt more than this incident has caused me to be in. Oh my god! There is no fucking way I can do this and survive! What am I going–”_

Your racing thoughts crashed into a wall when you felt a pair of large hands firmly grasp your shoulder and shake you a bit. It was Alfred. Apparently you had completely zoned out and didn’t even notice him come in pistol in hand (incase of any intruders still left)or practically shout your name down the hall.

“(Y/N)! _(Y?N)!_ Focus on me! Are you okay?! Are you hurt?! Did you call the police?! Please!” 

You understood him, and you wanted to respond. You wanted to tell him that you weren’t hurt but you hadn’t called the GCPD yet. But you couldn’t. It’s like you forgot how to talk. So you just shook your head “no”. Alfred pulled out his mobile and phoned a friend of his in the GCPD. After he hung up, Alfred turned his attention back to you. He squatted down in front of you and put a hand on your knee.

“I’m going to have a look around. Make sure no one else is hiding in here. Just sit tight and I’ll be back to help you up.”

Again, your voice didn’t work, so you nodded your head “yes”. He kisses your forehead before he stands up. He reaches for his pistol and prepares to search your apartment. Going into each room and giving it a thorough look through before putting his gun away and returning to your side. You had gone numb again, falling victim to your thoughts until you felt a familiar warm hand on yours.

“Alright. You're safe. The GCPD are on their way now. I have a friend there, Jim Gordon. He’ll make sure to catch who did this.” Alfred said as he sat down next to you.

He put an arm around your shoulders and brought you into a comforting hold. You turned into him and hid your face into his shoulder as you felt the tears start to fall. You couldn’t hold it in anymore. Nothing good was going to come out of this. The GCPD wouldn’t do shit. They have more important cases to take care of instead of looking into a small apartment robbery.

“It’ll be okay. We’ll figure this out and get you back in the swing of things.” Alfred consoled. He was gently running his hand up and down your back to help, but you got more and more worked up.

“No. Things will not just go back to normal. The GCPD won’t give a shit. They’ll have me file a report, and then say that they will work on it while they go back to the headline cases. I don’t have enough money to even get me through the week. Even if I work overtime, it’ll be difficult. Or if I do somehow get enough money to survive, I sure as hell don’t feel safe here. I”m not going to get much sleep or even be okay. And.. And…” You felt your lungs giving out and overworking.

Trying to breathe was becoming difficult and you knew this feeling all too well. Your anxiety was charging at you. Squeezing your lungs, making your thoughts race, and your body shake. You hated when anything like this happened with other in the room. You felt like such a pathetic piece of shit. Alfred had only seen this once, but once was enough for him to know what was going on. He pulled you out of his arms so he could grasp your chin and make you look at him. He used just enough force to make you move, but he was still gentle and careful as to not make you feel controlled.

“Listen to me (Y/N). You are a strong young woman. You have survived through multiple fights at your employer’s. You have gotten training on how to survive this city. You will prevail. For now, we are going to sit here until get your breath back. Then we will walk to the kitchen so I can make some tea while we wait for Detective Gordon to get here and do his job. Alright?”

There was something about him that made you feel better. Well, there were actually a lot of things about him that made you feel good. His physical and mental strength, how close you two were, the fact that he actually cared about your wellbeing and did everything he could to protect you. You could have a list three miles long of reasons you love him. Then the realization hit you: You loved him. But you knew that he thought of you as a family member as opposed to a girlfriend. So you tried your best to tuck your realization in the back of your mind.

You were interrupted by a hand slightly shaking your upper arm and Alfred’s voice repeating “Alright?” You shook your head “yes” and fell back into his arms. You already felt the grasp on your lungs getting looser thanks to him.

After about 10 minutes of sitting there, you finally felt okay enough to function somewhat normally. Tapping at Alfred’s arm to get his attention, you looked up at him and said “Can we have that tea now?” He chuckled a bit at that before agreeing, kissing your forehead, and standing up. He offered his hand to you once he got up. You took it and felt him pull you up. All of the sitting and struggled breathing had taken a toll on your body. Your legs felt like rubber as you felt yourself stumble a bit. Luckily Alfred noticed this and helped stabilize you. Once you were upright, you realized where his hands were. One was on your lower back and the other was on your waist. His hands felt pleasant and comfortable there.

You could tell that Alfred had believed that he had crossed some sort of line because after a few seconds of standing, he let go of you and began apologizing. “I’m sorry (Y/N). I didn’t mean to make things uncomfortable. I’m just going to go and work on get that tea for us.” 

Before you could protest, he was on his was to your kitchen to find the various teas that he had left for you in the past. You slowly followed behind, making your way to your small table while watching him put your kettle on the small stove, and pull out two cups.


End file.
